>the mechanic leads you through the halls
>you wish they'd just told you which hangar to go to, but he isn't bad company
>"I know y'gotten a lot of praise already for bein' among the first volunteers ta be paired with Dragons, but m'self, I wanna thank ya fer testin' out the equipment."
"Oh, really? I admit, that's a new one."
>"Yeah. The Dragons, we already know they can fight and fight well, but there's no way to test the suits large-scale without someone makin' friends with one of 'em an' gettin' pretty much strapped t'gether."
>you and your guide approach the door to the hangar, with a small orange light indicating its "locked" status
>the mechanic taps his ID card against the scanner, and the light blinks green with a beep
>"Anyway, it'll be right b'hind this here door. Not in the suit, a' course, that ain't gonna be for another few days, maybe a week."
>you nod and trade farewells with him, then go through the door
>at the other end of the hangar is an enormous dragon
>the dragon's feathery, grey wings are folded neatly along its back as it crouches on all fours and peers at a fighter jet smaller than its head
>contrary to what the mechanic said, it is wearing something
>a large, metal-and-plastic mask obscures its jaws
>in its curiosity, it hasn't noticed you
>and that's a good thing
>you're flat against the wall, having recognized the creature
>just three months ago, you were in that jet, just as close
>a snap of its jaws had nearly taken a wing off, if not more
>you had stared Death in the eyes back then
>you hadn't expected to see Death in a calmer location like this
>at least, not for at least half a century more
>you steel yourself, forcing your legs to take shaky steps towards the dragon
>drawing closer, it really sinks in just how damn big the creature is
>it'd take several minutes just to walk from its head to its tail
>eventually, you stop a few dozen meters away from its dark, scaly head
>and even that towers above you
>it holds its paw a bit above the aircraft, as though trying to figure out if it's allowed to touch it
"Hello! You must be the Dragon I'm being paired with."
>its eye looks at you, then widens, and the dragon moves far quicker than it seems capable of
>as fast as it can, it draws back from the jet, pulling back to a sitting position and nearly hitting its head on the high ceiling
>it turns its head, checking its surroundings, then looks back at you
><GREETINGS. MY NAME IS SENEGAL. I SWEAR I WAS JUST LOOKING.>
>Senegal's voice is loud, but far from the booming, deafening roar it'd showed in combat
>you figure its mask is for that, rather than just hiding its fearsome fangs
>nonetheless, it doesn't stop you from cringing back in fear
"A... Anon. You're much bigger in person."
>the dragon makes a noise that might be considered laughter
>despite both your unease and desire for the meeting to go well, you just can't shake your initial thoughts
"Hey, Senegal? Do you mind if I ask a bit of an awkward question?"
>Senegal tilts its head to one side
><GETTING IT OUT OF THE WAY, YES? AS LONG AS I CAN ASK ONE IN RETURN.>
>you nod, nervous, and it takes you a few seconds to get yourself to actually speak up
"Were you... about 80 days ago, were you in the Skirmian Sea?"
>Senegal is silent for a bit, thinking
><I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HUMANS CALL IT, BUT I WOKE UP IN A SEA AROUND THEN. I AM NOT SURE HOW I GOT THERE. I WAS DRUNK THE DAY BEFORE.>
>you find yourself unable to react to this news
>the creature, the enormous dragon who seemed hell-bent on walking towards and stomping through a nearby city, did so while drunk off its ass
>Senegal nearly ate you, and it doesn't remember it
>a little numb, you respond, subconsciously raising your voice for it to hear
"You... you tried to get to a city near there. I and many more had to dissuade you from doing so."
>Senegal blinks
><OH. I HOPE I DIDN'T->
"Also, I'm very glad for that mask you're wearing, not just for whatever it's doing for your voice, but because you came a few meters from eating me out of the sky. I don't think I'd do very well if I had to see the inside of your mouth again."
>you wonder if you're in shock
>surely it's the only explanation for being able to say that calmly
><...OH.>
>the dragon looks away
>sort of pulls itself inward
>if not for the circumstances, you might find the sight of such a huge thing trying to make itself look smaller
>the awkward silence reigns for several minutes
>eventually, you figure you should at least put forth some effort to make a dragon/human partnership work
>you take a few deep breaths, then walk closer
"So, uh... what was the question you were going to ask?"
>Senegal doesn't respond at first, so you venture closer
"Hey, Senegal? The question for me you mentioned, what was it!?"
>it unwinds its body across the hangar, but keeps its head low now
><IT WAS MUCH LESS SERIOUS. I SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TELL HUMAN SEXES APART. WHICH ARE YOU?>
>you had expected its voice to drive you a few steps back again
>instead, you find yourself chuckling at the simple question
"I'm male. Guess the differences might be hard to see at that size, even if you know what they are."
>and then a thought occurs to you
>Senegal probably wouldn't have considered asking something like that, unless...
"Uh, actually, what about you? I guess I hadn't given it much thought..."
>the dragon relaxes a little, no longer pinning its wings tight to its sides
><FEMALE. IT IS AN UNUSUAL QUESTION IN HUMAN CONVERSATIONS TOO, YES?>
"Well, usually. Sometimes people wear confusing things. And then there was a Lieutenant at a base I was assigned earlier..."
>Senegal rests its- her head on her forepaws
><I ONCE TRIED TO COURT ANOTHER DRAGONESS BECAUSE HER HORNS HAD BEEN SEVERED AND HER WINGS COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY. IT DID NOT GO WELL.>
>the two of you swap stories for a while longer, the fact of your previous "meeting" staying at the back of your mind through most of it
>overall, though, it goes about as well as you'd hoped at the start
>which is very good, since you didn't know she'd be the one who nearly killed you then
>after the conversation draws to a close and you near the next thing on your schedule, you head back to the human-sized door
>you briefly consider turning back to see how she manages to turn around without wrecking the airplanes
>but decide on not being late to dinner instead
>the mechanic had said a few days to a week before you and Senegal try out the dragon-suit thing
>it still strikes you as a strangely short deadline
>but you can't help but look forward to it a little
 
from https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/56066780#56134490